NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and General Aleksus Hrynkiewicz, commander-in-chief of the Alliance’s Joint Forces in Europe, have announced the start of the Eastern Sentry defence mission.
The operation, according to the Polish military, is designed to strengthen NATO’s eastern flank by involving forces from allies, notably Denmark, France, Britain, Germany and the like.
Participants have already begun moving their units and equipment. Denmark is sending two F-16 fighters and an anti-aircraft frigate, France is sending three Rafale fighters, and Germany is sending four Eurofighters. Britain has also said it is ready to support the operation.
Poland’s General Staff said the operation has already officially started. A published video captured the arrival of a French A400 transport plane to Minsk-Mazowiecki with armaments for the Rafale, which are already located in Poland.
“Thank you allies for your solidarity with Poland. “Eastern Guardian is not only a new initiative, but also a clear message: NATO’s borders are inviolable and the safety of our citizens remains a priority,” the Polish command said in a statement.
Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz stressed that strengthening the alliance’s defence was directly linked to Ukraine’s fight against Russian aggression.
“In unity there is strength, and in readiness there is victory,” he said.
Earlier, NATO announced the launch of the Eastern Guardian initiative to strengthen the defence of Europe’s eastern flank. It was announced on 12 September at the headquarters of the North Atlantic Alliance by Secretary General Mark Rutte and Commander-in-Chief of NATO’s Joint Force Europe Aleksus Hrynkiewicz.
Rutte said military activities under the new initiative will begin “in the coming days” and will include resources from allies including Denmark, France, Britain, Germany and the like.
Polish authorities said 19 Russian drones violated Polish airspace during an overnight attack in Ukraine on 10 September and were shot down by NATO forces. The operation involved Polish F-16 fighter jets, Dutch F-35s, Italian AWACS reconnaissance aircraft and NATO-shared refuelling aircraft.
The Russian Defence Ministry claimed that on the night of September 10, Russian forces launched a massive strike with precision weapons and drones against Ukrainian military-industrial complex enterprises in five regions, while “no targets were planned on Polish territory”.
However, the Polish government stressed that it had no doubt that the Russian drones on its territory were intentional and not accidental.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said after a meeting of the alliance’s ambassadors that NATO allies expressed solidarity with Poland and condemned Russia’s behaviour.